Question: I was unable to live in my apartment due to bed bugs, so I called the owner of the complex and he said he would let me off without going to court until he found out about me going around getting a petition for a lawsuit signed by almost 99% of the apartment complex.
Well he got very nasty with me and took me to court knowing that I no longer lived in the apartment. I’m guessing he sent the mail there for court and now I’m finding out that I owe him over $2000. How do I get this off my credit?
Answer: I suggest you read the article “How to Dispute a Judgment” . In the article I speak about having a judgment vacated by the court if you can prove you were never served with the lawsuit.
Vacating a default judgment basically means the court throws out the judgment and if this is done, the judgment cannot remain on your credit reports, it must be deleted. This is not an easy process and you may have to seek legal counsel if you are not comfortable dealing with the court system on your own.
In the article “How to Dispute a Bankruptcy” I talk about strategies to dispute a bankruptcy. These strategies may be helpful to you as they can easily apply to any public record such as a judgment on your credit report. It involves finding an inaccuracy in the judgment listing, such incorrect balance or incorrect date in order to base the dispute on a factual error.
But I do not believe this would be helpful because it appears you were unaware of the lawsuit because you were not properly served. If you can prove you were not served then there would be reason to dispute the judgment.
You really should speak to an attorney before you attempt to dispute the judgment. Lexington Law offers free credit repair consultations, call them at (877) 587-4574. Good luck to you.